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Walt Kelly's Pogo: Happy Buddha

September 16, 2013, 9:01 pm
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Walt Kelly's Pogo visits Pandemonia and it's quite a place. Somehow L.B.J. is there too! This example of original daily Pogo comic strip art has fetched a premium on eBay. The dinosaurs in Pandemonia rock!



Walt Kelly, Original Artwork from Pogo, January 30, 1967

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Original-Daily-Strip-by-Walt-Kelly-1-30-1967-Pogo-in-Pandemonia-/111139106953?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item19e0683089&nma=true&si=UB68sj2DvLx%252F9kdb54zXrlCgzYs%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557




Note:  This blog is now chock full of Walt Kelly posts which you can enjoy here.

So is the Whirled of Kelly blog here. Then there's the Pogo in Pandemonia blog here which is all about this crazy extended Pandemonia sequence.

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My Entry in The New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest #395

September 17, 2013, 9:01 pm
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Here is my entry in The New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest #395 for September 16, 2013. The cartoon is by Christpher Weyant but the caption is all mine.

"Did you ever wonder, Bradley, why your job wasn't outsourced?"





I was unable to do the underlining when I submitted my entry. Hmmm.... So it goes. Here are some other unused caption ideas:
"Now your promotion is practically guaranteed."
"It won't serve as a deterrent without real gunpowder."
"You said you wanted to travel."
"By the way, Thompson, you're fired."
"What we save on airfare goes directly into your
health insurance premiums."


Note:  What do you say if you're half man, half escargot? Don't forget to take a look at my previous entry in The New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest here.

I'm currently a finalist in Moment magazine's Cartoon Caption Contest! No, really. Read all about it here.

This blog features an earlier caption contest with Christopher Weyanthere. Also, he signed my copy of The Best of the Rejection Collectionhere,although today I really have no independent recollection of this. I think I was sleepwalking. I'm sure he doesn't remember me either.

Mr. Weyant's website is here.

Christopher Weyant's New Yorker work can be enjoyed in The Cartoon Bank here.

Don't miss Bob Mankoff's essential blog post "A Cartoonist Responds to Boston" here.

There's more!  Christopher Weyant is mentioned on Ink Spill in these posts.

Did I leave anything out?

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Walt Kelly's Pogo: A Letter from Camp

September 18, 2013, 9:01 pm
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Camp Siberia's students aren't writing letters home regularly, but Barnstable Bear has a plan to act as general corresponding secretary for the entire camp. Here is an example of original Sunday comic strip art for Walt Kelly's Pogo consisting of brushed ink over blue pencil.











Walt Kelly, Original Sunday Artwork for Pogo, July 30, 1961

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Pogo-Sunday-Original-by-Walt-Kelly-Camp-Siberia-7-30-1961-/111139143055?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item19e068bd8f&nma=true&si=UB68sj2DvLx%252F9kdb54zXrlCgzYs%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557




Note:  This blog now is now teeming with original Pogo comic strip art. See more of it here. 

Also try the Whirled of Kelly blog here. There's also Pogo in Pandemonia here.

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China Ascendant

September 19, 2013, 7:02 pm
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For more than a year and a half after I created this blog, page views emanating from China were rarely seen here. Then about six months ago, China suddenly appeared in my monthly blog statistics and never left. I took note of this publicly in March, and expressed my pride and bewilderment.

Today for the first time China appears in the list of the top ten countries in all-time page views of this blog. Furthermore, for the current month, China has moved up to fourth among nations in blog readership. There is a bit of lag time until the all-time statistics are similarly affected, but China clearly has the potential to move into the top half of this list given enough time.

I still have no clear picture of why this has happened, but I don't think the Chinese government has changed any of its repressive policies or embraced internet freedom. Rather, I believe there must be a newfound technical ability to circumvent the government restrictions that are in place.

Attempted Bloggery All-Time Pageviews by Countries, September 19, 2013




Attempted Bloggery Monthly Pageviews by Countries, September 19, 2013


Note: More blog posts on China can be found here.

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Walt Kelly's Pogo: Baseball and the Presidensity

September 20, 2013, 3:01 am
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Original comic strip art from Walt Kelly'sPogo shows the artist to be as adept at wordplay as he is at ink brushing. The strange words and dialect which abound here seemed unnecessarily difficult when I first encountered Pogo as a boy, but over the years I've taken to it with a bit more enthusiasm.





Walt Kelly, Original Artwork for Pogo, August 20, 1964




Note:  This blog has more Walt Kelly posts sure to befuddle you here.

Then there's the Whirled of Kelly blog here and Pogo in Pandemonia here.

Autumn begins the day after tomorrow. There are only a couple of posts about fall in the blog and you can see them here.

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Sheldon Cooper's Twitter Milestone

September 20, 2013, 5:02 pm
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I never thought I'd say this proudly, but....

Sheldon Cooper and I now have something in common! My Twitter account has reached 101 followers, so I can boast that I've achieved the same exalted milestone as the most socially inept character on television's "The Big Bang Theory." One might even be tempted to say, "Ooh, 101! Air's gettin' a bit thin up here!"

One-hundred one Twitter followers! Zero dalmatians.


Of course, the number of one's Twitter followers is not exactly a scientific measure of popularity or indeed of anything in particular. Many Twitter users follow you not out of any keen interest, but rather out of a desire to have you follow them in return. What's the point of all that? To date I have followed 484 others on Twitter, mostly, but not entirely, out of genuine interest. Some of this mutual following is part of a polite give-and-take. This exchange is a quirky social media convention Sheldon Cooper would surely not have been a party to, and that alone makes his tally of 101 Twitter followers considerably more impressive than mine.

"The Big Bang Theory"
Season 5, Episode 12
Sheldon and Amy's Date Night 
Jim Parsons as Sheldon Cooper
Mayim Bialik as Amy Farrah Fowler
Kaley Cuoco as Penny


Note:  My Twitter account was created mainly to promote this blog, although today I use it for other noble purposes as well. You can follow me on Twitter here. In fact, more people choose to follow me on Twitter than on this blog, almost five times as many. Make of that what you will. I myself haven't quite figured it all out.

If you care to, you can also follow me on Instagramhere. Instagram is still new to me, but at this time I am not using it consistently for any blog-related activity. Generally, I share my Instagram photos on Twitter anyway. Is this at all confusing?

You can catch up with my few blog posts on the subject of various social media here.

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Walt Kelly's Pogo: The Noble Dog

September 21, 2013, 5:01 pm
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Here is some fine original artwork by Walt Kelly from his imaginative daily comic strip Pogo. At first it seems we're on a political topic, but by the last panel Kelly is surely channeling Nicely-Nicely Johnson.



Walt Kelly, Original Artwork for Pogo, May 7, 1968

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Original-Daily-Pogo-Strip-by-Walt-Kelly-5-7-1968-Beauregard-Churchy-Porkypine-/290963948376?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item43becd8358&nma=true&si=UB68sj2DvLx%252F9kdb54zXrlCgzYs%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557




Note:  I'm pleased to inform you I have more Walt Kelly posts for you here.

Don't forget the Whirled of Kelly blog here and the Pogo in Pandemonia blog here. I won't.

Tomorrow fall will begin. See my blog posts about autumn here.

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Walt Kelly's Pogo: Marry Go Round

September 22, 2013, 3:01 am
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In this example of original artwork from Walt Kelly's daily comic strip Pogo, the possum is quite literally being pursued in marriage. And it isn't even Sadie Hawkins Day!



Walt Kelly, Original Artwork for Pogo, December 3, 1965

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Original-Daily-Pogo-Strip-by-Walt-Kelly-12-3-1965-Mademoiselle-Hepzibah-Pogo-/290963954694?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item43becd9c06&nma=true&si=UB68sj2DvLx%252F9kdb54zXrlCgzYs%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557



Note:  I have more Walt Kelly posts on view here.

You might also want to try the Whirled of Kelly blog here and Pogo in Pandemonia here.

Autumn begins today. There are just a couple of fall posts in the blog. You can see them here.


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Walt Kelly's Pogo: Worm Wrestling

September 22, 2013, 9:01 pm
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Poor Ol' Mouse suffers the indignity of being bested at wrestling by a mere worm. But, the joke seems to be, at least it's not a female worm. This original comic strip artwork by Walt Kelly was done for his Pogo comic strip of July 27, 1955.





Walt Kelly, Original Comic Strip Artwork for Pogo, July 27, 1955

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Pogo-Daily-Original-Strip-by-Walt-Kelly-Published-7-27-55-/111168454076?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item19e227fdbc&nma=true&si=UB68sj2DvLx%252F9kdb54zXrlCgzYs%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557


Note:  By now I'm sure you've gleaned that this blog houses a small treasure trove of original Pogo comic strip art. See it all here. 

You should also take the time to sample the prodigious Whirled of Kelly blog here. Slightly more offbeat is Pogo in Pandemonia which you can find right here.

Fall arrived just yesterday. This is, for now at least, the last time I'm going to remind you that I have other autumnal posts at the ready here.

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Walt Kelly Poster Design for an Exhibit of American Cartoons

September 23, 2013, 10:01 pm
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This original poster artwork by Walt Kelly features his signature comic strip character Pogo Possum. The medium is brushed india ink over blue pencil, the very technique he used when creating his comic strip art.

The poster publicizes a 1959 exhibit of American cartoons. It looks as if it might have been a worthwhile show. Imagine what the 1959 visitors to this show would have thought of Galerie Laqua's selling price for this today!

Walt Kelly, Original Artwork for An Exhibition of American Cartoons, April 6, 1959
http://www.galerielaqua.de/seiten_englisch/eoauskelly01.html

Note:  This post concludes my survey of Walt Kelly artwork for the time being. Earlier posts remain on view here. I'm far from done with Pogo and his creator, but I have other exciting subjects I want to move on to. I never really thought I'd spend this much time on Pogo, but I'm not sorry. I have always maintained that the subject matter of most any single post on this blog could serve as the basis for an entire blog if one kept coming back to different aspects of the subject and that's more or less what I've done here. In the case of Kelly, there's already the Whirled of Kelly blog here and Pogo in Pandemonia here. I focussed more on original artwork rather than published newspaper pages, taking advantage mostly of eBay sales featuring splendid scans of original artwork. These sales tend to vanish from eBay after a few months. What I'd really like to do some day is match up some of the original artwork I have here with the printed comic strips, particularly the color Sunday pages. If anyone has scans of the individual Sunday strips shown here, please get in touch.

By the way, Galerie Laqua in Berlin was mentioned on this blog once before in the Mail from Mr. Herriman post here.

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A Hypothetical Question

September 24, 2013, 9:01 pm
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Please don't go starting any rumors. I want to make it clear that the question I pose today is purely hypothetical. I'm asking it now because one day this very situation indeed could come up at short notice and I will need to know pronto how best to act. So here goes....

If ever Thomas Pynchon graciously agrees to be interviewed for this blog, how will I reliably be able to verify his identity? I mean, the very fact of this publicity-averse writer somehow consenting to be interviewed would suggest strongly that it mightn't be the genuine Pynchon at all with whom I'm dealing, but some impish impostor.

Then again, one can never be absolutely certain. There's always the remote possibility that one who refused interviews his entire career could have a change of heart and want his voice finally to be heard in, let's say, an obscure but sincere online venue. So it could be a grave error to accuse him of being an impostor unless of course he actually were one. Do you see my dilemma? This could give a conscientious blogger sleepless nights.

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My Entry in The New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest #396,

September 25, 2013, 3:02 am
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Here is my latest entry in The New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest for September 23, 2013. The cartoon is provided by Joseph Farris. The caption is provided by me.

"There goes my view of the obelisk!"





Here are a few other captions I also considered:
"But next week's trip to Easter Island is nonrefundable!"
"Stop staring at me!"
"But it's way too soon for the Bloomberg Monument!"


Note: Boom! See my previous entry in The New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest here.

Speaking of caption contests, I am at this very moment a finalist in Moment magazine's Cartoon Caption Contest. Voting closes October 10, so there's still plenty of time for you to vote for your favorite entry! Find out what really goes on in the animal research lab here.

Joseph Farris's website is here.

You can see a smattering of Joseph Farris's New Yorker work in the Cartoon Bank here.

News about Joseph Farris has been featured on Ink Spillhere.

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Johnny Hart's B.C.: Message in a Bottle

September 25, 2013, 9:01 pm
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I don't collect original comic strip art, except virtually. Here's an original B.C. Comic strip by Johnny Hart, who seems to have had an unending supply of gags such as these.



Johnny Hart, Original Artwork for B.C., July 3, 1980
http://www.ebay.com/itm/B-C-ORIGINAL-COMIC-STRIP-JOHNNY-HART-1980-/271270910240?_trksid=p2047675.l2557&_trkparms=aid%3D555012%26algo%3DPW.MBE%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D17373%26meid%3D1081610364719133508%26pid%3D100034%26prg%3D8089%26rk%3D2%26rkt%3D8%26sd%3D190717471482%26&nma=true&si=UB68sj2DvLx%252F9kdb54zXrlCgzYs%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc





Note: You can see more original comic strip art on this blog here.

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Charles Addams for Hallmark

October 26, 2013, 11:01 pm
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Greetings from...Lurch? A Hallmark card featuring the Addams Family's butler was designed by Charles Addams probably around the time of the TV show. A rare example of this card is currently offered on eBay. It retailed for 25 cents in the 1960's, but today it can be yours for $39.95, or most likely less if you make the right offer.

Charles Addams, Lurch behind the door, Hallmark Contemporary card front cover

Charles Addams, Lurch behind the door, Hallmark Contemporary card interior


http://www.ebay.com/itm/ADDAMS-FAMILY-Charles-Addams-1960s-HALLMARK-GREETING-CARD-w-LURCH-Rare-/261285694962?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3cd5d74df2




Note:  This particular Addams Family product line is new to me. I'm sure there must be more than this one greeting card designed for Hallmark by Charles Addams. If you should know of other vintage Hallmark Contemporary cards with an Addams Family theme, please do consider sharing them here.

More Attempted Bloggery posts about Charles Addams are here.

Seasonal Halloween-themed posts may be found here.

The website for the Tee & Charles Addams Foundation is here.

The exhibition "Chas Addams: Family and Friends" is on view at Southampton Center through November 3. Read about it here.

Exhibition and other news about Charles Addams is covered on Ink Spillhere.

Charles Addams has been featured on The Pictorial Arts blog here.

Are you following the World Series? Baseball blog posts are here.

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Charles Addams on Broadway, Gravely

October 27, 2013, 9:01 pm
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Roald Dahl's farce comedy "The Honeys" opened on Broadway at the Longacre Theatre in April of 1955. It starred Jessica Tandy, Hume Cronyn, and Dorothy Stickney. An illustration for this production by Charles Addams depicts a gravestone with a portrait of two closely-related men, perhaps twins or, since this is a farce, possibly the same person in disguise. The original artwork was sold last year by Heritage Auctions, which reported that it appeared in Playbill, but there is some reason to question this. It wasn't used as a cover illustration nor does it appear in any of the inside pages shown on the Playbill website, so doubts are justified.

The drawing of the gravestone may have been strictly promotional. An Addams illustration would be the perfect way to advertise a play, particularly a comedy, to The New Yorker's sophisticated audience which already delighted in morbid Addams cartoons. In fact, this drawing was published as an advertisement in The New Yorker issue of April 2, 1955 and perhaps elsewhere.

Charles Addams, original promotional artwork for "The Honeys," The New Yorker, April 2, 1955, page 50

Charles Addams, framed original promotional artwork for "The Honeys," The New Yorker, April 2, 1955, page 50

Charles Addams signature

http://fineart.ha.com/c/item.zx?saleNo=5087&lotNo=78267#83968396209



Charles Addams, advertisement for "The Honeys,"The New Yorker, April 2, 1955, page 50

The Addams artwork appears somewhat elongated in the ad to accommodate additional type in the blank space below the double portrait. By the way, opening night orchestra seats were sold out, but mezzanine seats were still available for $4.60, $3.45, and $2.90!

Charles Addams, advertisement for "The Honeys," The New Yorker, April 2, 1955, page 50

Incidentally, on this very magazine page there is an ad for the 1954 Broadway musical "The Pajama Game" in which you can just make out artwork by another legendary  New Yorker cartoonist, Peter Arno. Here's a better look at it:

Peter Arno, Playbill for "The Pajama Game" (1954)
Image added November 6, 2013

Peter Arno, U.K. sheet music for "Small Talk" from "The Pajama Game" (1954)





Note:  Naturally, I'd be grateful to anyone who can document any other uses to which this artwork for "The Honeys" was put.

You can find additional blog posts about the splendid Charles Addams here.

Spooky posts about Halloween may be found here.

The Tee & Charles Addams Foundation has its website here.

By the way, the exhibition "Chas Addams: Family and Friends" is on view at Southampton Center through November 3. Read all about it here.

Charles Addams still makes the news, and it is covered on Ink Spill here.

His artwork has been featured on The Pictorial Arts blog here.

It seems I've been neglecting Peter Arno lately, but I'll make it up to you at some point. In the meantime, my older posts can still be enjoyed here.

Additional blog posts about Broadway may be found here.

My blog post about last year's Hurricane Sandy is here.

Let's not forget the World Series! Attempted Bloggery's archive of baseball blog posts is here.

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Maurice Sendak: It's Alive!

October 28, 2013, 9:01 pm
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Maurice Sendak's work for the stage is outstanding, although it isn't nearly as well known as his book illustrations. From The New Yorker's 1994 Halloween issue comes this original set design by Sendak for "It's Alive!"
Maurice Sendak, original set design for "It's Alive!"
The New Yorker, October 31, 1994, page 8


The New Yorker, October 31, 1994, page 8



Note:  Earlier blog posts about Maurice Sendak are here.

The Maurice Sendak Collection is in the Rosenbach Museum and Library.

Additional eerie Halloween posts may be foundhere.

Furthermore, in honor of the World Series, there are even a few baseball posts here.

Today marks one year since my blog post on Hurricane Sandy's storm surge. Read it here.

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My Entry in The New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest #401

October 29, 2013, 9:01 pm
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Here is my latest entry in The New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest #401 for October 28, 2013. The cartoon is by Harry Bliss. The caption is by me.

"Speaking of abandonment, Doctor, would you mind turning this way?"


I had just one other caption idea. Frankly, I didn't think it was funny enough.
"Well, isn't it better to be angry than manic and delusional?"


November 4, 2013 Update: The Finalists



Note: I'm afraid last week's New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest entry was all up in the air. See it here.

Previous Attempted Bloggery posts with Harry Bliss art may be seen here.

Then again, you might prefer to see Harry Bliss in the Cartoon Bankhere.

News about Harry Bliss is covered on Ink Spillhere.

More football posts may be seen here.

With the World Series still going on, let's not forget the ol'baseball posts here. Why ever does Roger Angell call it The Summer Game?

Do you recall my very first New Yorker Caption Contest entry? Well, it was another psychiatrist gag, one by Victoria Roberts. I sure hope my captioning has improved a little since then.

Let's not forget that this is the Halloween season. Suitably spooky blog posts may be found here.

Photographs of last year's Hurricane Sandy storm surge on the East River are here.

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Arthur Rackham: The Ingoldsby Legends

October 30, 2013, 9:01 pm
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The Ingoldsby Legends is obscure now but was popular in the 19th century. Thomas Ingoldsby was the pen name of the Reverend Rchard Harris Barham. Arthur Rackham's 1898 illustration for the spine of the book features a crescent moon, a witch flying on her broomstick, and some bats which must appear on the lower back cover. The original artwork is offered by Chris Beetles of London.


http://www.chrisbeetles.com/gallery/fairy-fantasy/ingoldsby-legends-witch-flight.html

Note: Previous posts here on Attempted Bloggery about Arthur Rackham contain some of the most gorgeous illustration artwork I have found. Don't just take my word for it. See for yourself here.

I also have more ghoulish Halloween posts here.

The Boston Red Sox have won the World Series. All my classic baseball posts are here.

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Arthur Rackham: The Witches' Sabbath

October 31, 2013, 3:02 am
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In 1928, Arthur Rackham illustrated Washington Irving's The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. His illustration of "The Witches' Sabbath" was published in black and white. The listing from Chris Beetles Gallery explains, "After publication this illustration was reworked and coloured by the artist."

Arthur Rackham, "The Witches' Sabbath," for Washington Irving's The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, 1928

http://www.chrisbeetles.com/gallery/fairy-fantasy/witches-sabbath.html



Note:  Arthur Rackham appears in other blog posts here.

This is the final day to check out my Halloween posts here. Tomorrow it will be Thanksgiving I'm promoting.

Wait till next year! Attempted Bloggery's archive of baseball posts is here.

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Arthur Rackham: Long Stories of Ghosts, Witches and Indians

October 31, 2013, 7:03 pm
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Illustrator Arthur Rackham's 1916 book illustration tells the story of telling a story. Note that the light source is pretty close to the viewer's vantage point, as if we ourself are holding the candle or sitting directly in the fireplace.

Arthur Rackham,Long Stories of Ghosts, Witches and Indians, Washington Irving, Rip Van Winkle,
London: William Heinemann, 1916, page 5

http://www.chrisbeetles.com/gallery/children/long-stories-ghosts-witches-and-indians.html


Note:  Arthur Rackham appears on the blog here.

My Halloween posts are here.

The baseball season is over, but the blog posts remain here.

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